christo67,
I Traded for a 1874 tristar IAB Sharps, I have owned it for 3 - 4 months, I havn't shot it much> It is just a gun that I wanted from child hood and I didn't know anything about buying a Reproduction Sharps! I have a bad back, so I am only shooting Black POwder in it for the reduced recoil. I have reloaded smokeless loads for 32 years, but it doesn't do you a lot of good in the B.P. reloading!!
IAB have improved in quailty since they first started making these rifles! These rifles, got a bad name when they where first Imported, from what reading I have done, they copied the Earlier model orginal Sharps and they felt like a club! Mine has a nice feel, the metal to wood fit is good and the bore is 457dia. I put the tristar creedmore sights on it, if you have just a little more, go to Lee Shaver web page and buy your sights there, if you are going to use creedmore style sights.
The last time I shot last week, the shooting conditions was not the best, it was getting late and the sun was coming in strait from the right side just above eye level, you couldn't hardley see the target.
I was shooting at a 100 yards. I shot 2 different types of bullets! 10-500gr, and 10-385gr. Both loaded the same. 58grs of German FFG dropped threw a 24" drop Tube then a 25ths card board wad, a 60ths fiberwad, then a powder compression, not enough to crush the powder, and then the bullets.
I shot all 20 rounds in a 4" group, the 385 shot a little higher than the 500's. I have not done anything to the rifle. The group was pretty poor and i can blame that on the lighting, but I think it was the shooter!
i believe my rifle will make a decent shooter, but it isn't going to be a tack driver. I have to pick my days i shoot, if I get my led sled made, then If I can get a day, with good conditions and my back not killing me, I would like to see how it shoots at 200yards and then out to 500 yards.
I have heard of some of these guns having 454dia barrels, if you havn't bought but find one, I would ask the dealer If I could slug the barrel before paying! I don't know of any good way you can shoot a 454 45-70.
If I get to shoot it any more this winter I will let you know. There is a good post going on this over on the CAS CITY forums, in the Brown forum.
Hope I have helped!
Greg

Very Beautifull gun. But it doesn't do much for me! It doesn't look like a sharps, everyone one gives me a hard time because I only use 58 gr of ffg. I would like to see a little guy like me, put 70gr of ffg and shoot it, my angle gauge is in the shop, but that gun would kick like a mule! But it is a nicely made gun, and if muzzeloading is your thing it would be a keeper!
thanks for showing us
Greg

These tri-stars are the cheapest repos of the sharps rifle.Ihave shilos c-sharps and Taylors sharpsThe c&shilos are very well made & very good shooters.Wile the Taylor sharps is cheaper,It is on the same scale as the montana ones.My best groupings were made with the taylor at 100yds and 200-300yds,with a midrange site.Wayne

I have an I.A.B. sharps sold by emf. I bought it used. The guy that owned it used a midrange tang sight.I use the buckhorn and ladder sight. First thing I had to do was get a front sight 1/2 the height of the original. it was hitting 18 inches low at 50 yards.An other thing that started happening was the lock screw holding the hammer on would back out.its loctited now.
surprisingly the wood has nice grain.the wood to metal fit is good
gc.. i think i read somewhere uberti gets theirs from pedrosolli.but i have known to be wrong